Eric Garner death prompts NYPD retraining, pols demanding prosecution

The NYPD will revise training procedures for its officers following the death of Staten Island man Eric Garner after an arrest gone awry.

Police Commisioner Bill Bratton said that all NYPD officers would undergo new training after the death of Staten Island man Eric Garner during his arrest last week.Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The New York City Police Department will revise training procedures for its officers following the death of Staten Island man Eric Garner after an arrest gone awry.

"I anticipate there will be a retraining of every member of the New York City Police Department in the weeks, months and potential years ahead," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told reporters on Tuesday.

The move comes after questions surfaced about how Garner was subdued. Eyewitness video shows arresting officer Daniel Pantaleo wrap his arm around Garner in an apparently chokehold, which have been banned by the police handbook since 1994.

Deputy Commissioner of Training Benjamin Tucker will oversee what top cop Bratton described as a “top to bottom” review of procedures even as the investigation into Garner's death continues.

While the police's own internal affairs department will continue to look into the case, Bratton also said the Staten Island district attorney's office launched a criminal investigation, and that federal investigations may follow.

Earlier, elected leaders gathered at City Hall to demand the officers involved face criminal charges.

"No more hocus pocus, out of focus," Staten Island Councilwoman Deborah Rose said. "That video was clear — there was clearly a violation of regulations. There was clearly a violation of his human rights and dignity."

A viewing for Garner is scheduled for Wednesday between 2 and 6:45 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, with a funeral service to follow where the Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to speak.